A gas turbine engine generally includes one or more compressors followed in turn by a combustor and high and low pressure turbines. These engine components are arranged in serial flow communication and disposed about a longitudinal axis centerline of the engine within an annular outer casing. The compressors are driven by the respective turbines and compressor air during operation. The compressor air is mixed with fuel and ignited in the combustor for generating hot combustion gases. The combustion gases flow through the high and low pressure turbines, which extract the energy generated by the hot combustion gases for driving the compressors, and for producing auxiliary output power.
The engine power is transferred either as shaft power or thrust for powering an aircraft in flight. For example, in other rotatable loads, such as a fan rotor in a by-pass turbofan engine, or propellers in a gas turbine propeller engine, power is extracted from the high and low pressure turbines for driving the respective fan rotor and the propellers.
It is well understood that individual components of turbofan engines, in operation, require different power parameters. For example, the fan rotational speed is limited to a degree by the tip velocity and, since the fan diameter is very large, rotational speed must be very low. The core compressor, on the other hand, because of its much smaller tip diameter, can be driven at a higher rotational speed. Therefore, separate high and low turbines with independent power transmitting devices are necessary for the fan and core compressor in aircraft gas turbine engines. Furthermore since a turbine is most efficient at higher rotational speeds, the lower speed turbine driving the fan requires additional stages to extract the necessary power.
Many new aircraft systems are designed to accommodate electrical loads that are greater than those on current aircraft systems. The electrical system specifications of commercial airliner designs currently being developed may demand up to twice the electrical power of current commercial airliners. This increased electrical power demand must be derived from mechanical power extracted from the engines that power the aircraft. When operating an aircraft engine at relatively low power levels, e.g., while idly descending from altitude, extracting additional electrical power from the engine mechanical power may reduce the ability to operate the engine properly.
Traditionally, electrical power is extracted from the high-pressure (HP) engine spool in a gas turbine engine. The relatively high operating speed of the HP engine spool makes it an ideal source of mechanical power to drive the electrical generators connected to the engine. However, it is desirable to draw power from additional sources within the engine, rather than rely solely on the HP engine spool to drive the electrical generators. Extracting this additional mechanical power from an engine when it is operating at relatively low power levels (e.g., at or near idle descending from altitude, low power for taxi, etc.) may lead to reduced engine operability. The LP engine spool provides an alternate source of power transfer, however, the relatively lower speed of the low-pressure (LP) engine spool typically requires the use of a gearbox, as slow-speed electrical generators are often larger than similarly rated electrical generators operating at higher speeds. The boost cavity of gas turbine engines has available space that is capable of housing an inside out electric generator, however, the boost section rotates at the speed of the LP engine spool.
Many solutions to this transformation are possible, including various types of conventional transmissions, mechanical gearing, and electromechanical configurations. One solution is a turbine engine with a third, intermediate (IP) pressure spool. The IP spool is understood to also require coupling to the HP spool for adequate operation. This coupling mechanism is often referred to as a mechanical clutch or viscous-type coupling mechanism. While this approach can provide power sufficient to operate the aircraft system, it does not directly address the problems associated with producing supplemental electrical power while the engine is running at lower speeds or at idle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,895,741, issued May 24, 2005, and entitled “Differential Geared Turbine Engine with Torque Modulation Capacity”, discloses a mechanically geared engine having three shafts. The fan, compressor, and turbine shafts are mechanically coupled by applying additional epicyclic gear arrangements. The effective gear ratio is variable through the use of electromagnetic machines and power conversion equipment. However, this system has not been widely used in practical applications.
Another method and system for providing electric power for an aircraft uses an engine where a generator is placed aft of the LP turbine. This method and system allows the generation of electricity from the engine even during times when the engine is running on low or idle speeds. However, the hot gasses exhausted from the LP turbine are corrosive and create damaging conditions for typical electric generators.
Thus, what is needed is a method or system to extract electrical power from the engine that will allow electrical power to be generated during low engine operating power levels without reducing engine operability, but will satisfy the increasing electrical demands of the aircraft.